Where We Always Begin.
(The Kid Room)
*photo of room prior to old owner's move*
If you're like most people, before you have kids you can go where you want, when you want to, and stay out all night while you do that thing you do. After kids? After kids you go where you know the kids will not act like they're unbalanced, when they've had a "good day" (and the term has evolved, believe you me), and when you're feeling adventurous.
And your priorities change. Before I would have never thought twice about decorating the living room first, or spending all night sanding, priming, and painting floorboards. Now? My babies' space gets first dibs--they need a place to play in a space that inspires creativity. I have a few ideas that I'm considering, but now that they're not babies they'll be instrumental in the process. It is their room, after all. Scroll down for inspiration!
P.S.--What is that ceiling light weirdness? Add it to the list of things to fix.
Anything is Inspirational.
(The Bookshelf)
It won't take long for you to realize that I have a deep and abiding love for IKEA. I love it for several reasons: most of their items are made from sustainable materials, it's cheap, it's functional, easy to put together, and if your children manage to destroy something, it isn't too painful for your household budget to replace. Like the time Kid Two took a diecast excavator to the top of my (non-IKEA) dresser. Ouch.
The boys share a room, so we've adopted the bunk bed approach. I don't subscribe to the "My Little Princes" approach when it comes to decorating their room. Their room is functional, engaging, and spacious because those three things are conducive to play and exploration, so you won't be finding any raw silk or unfriendly upholstering. What you will find are lots of books in a single locations that they can access. Enter the bookshelf to your left. Notice that it doesn't look like a regular old bookshelf. I love the geometry and the fact that I can add wooden storage boxes (or canvas ones, or whatever) so that toys not in use can go away. If you have kids and they're anything like mine, you've found that if the floor of their room is covered in toys they feel overwhelmed and don't do much playing.